Chapter 38

When the nightmare actually evolved into reality, Nie Qinglin instead calmed down.

Lying inside the wooden chest, her large eyes looked steadily at the figure of Nie Qinglin who suddenly appeared before her.

Because she had not spoken for a long time, her voice was hoarse as she said, “Lord Ge’s abilities have grown yet again, but I wonder what kind of world-shaking spectacle you plan to let me witness this time?”

Her appearance made Ge Qingyuan burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, for Your Majesty to remain unmoved before the collapse of mountains and the splitting of earth truly earns my admiration.”

After speaking, he stretched out his hands and lifted from the chest the precious treasure that had been transported over such a long distance.

When Ge Qingyuan pulled her out of the chest, Nie Qinglin’s eyes swept over the surrounding environment.

What met her sight was a vast and desolate desert.

A strong wind rolled up clouds of sand and dust, producing a sound by her ears like the howls of monsters.

From the distance came the sorrowful notes of a hujia flute.

Only a few unknown hardy weeds rooted themselves in the sandy soil, trembling with their withered yellow bodies in the biting cold wind.

By now it was already deep into the night, so there was no sight of the grand image of “a solitary plume of smoke rising straight in the desert and the setting sun sinking round into the long river.”

Looking into the surrounding darkness there was only an indescribable vastness and loneliness.

This was not Great Wei.

This was the northern frontier.

After looking at the surroundings, Nie Qinglin’s heart sank once more.

Listening to the sound of the hujia, it seemed they were not far from the border.

(T/N: Hujia is a traditional nomadic reed instrument, most often associated with the Xiongnu.)

Now that night had fallen, it was unsuitable to travel further.

If they were to make camp here, perhaps she might find the chance to send out a signal.

“General, it is already dark. Shall we set up camp and rest for a while?”

one of the Xiongnu attendants asked in halting Han speech.

Ge Qingyuan tightened his arms around the Son of Heaven in dragon robes, holding her more securely.

“No need. With the compass to guide our direction, we will return through the night to the camp of the Moerha tribe.”

With this one remark, Nie Qinglin’s faint hope was extinguished.

At Ge Qingyuan’s command, his men mounted their horses.

He also lifted Nie Qinglin onto his own horse.

After untying the ropes binding her hands, he said, “Your Majesty must hold on to me tightly, otherwise if you fall from the horse, your little face will be trampled into pieces under the hooves. The scent of blood will attract the wolves of the steppe. At that time, they will not understand the tenderness owed to beauty. They will certainly savor dragon flesh bite by bite.”

Although he spoke such venomous words, to be safe he still tied Nie Qinglin at the waist to secure her against his own body.

At this moment Lu Feng hurriedly approached.

In fact, ever since Ge Qingyuan had dismounted earlier, he had followed closely behind, hoping for just a glance from him.

After so long apart, the once elegant youth of the capital had grown into such a tall and imposing man.

His tall stature and deep features left Lu Feng intoxicated.

Yet from beginning to end, Ge Qingyuan’s eyes held only the emperor and nothing else.

This chilled Lu Feng’s heart.

When Ge Qingyuan prepared to ride off with the emperor in his arms, Lu Feng seized the reins of the horse and asked bitterly, “After being parted from me for so long, does Qingyuan truly have nothing to say to Lu Feng?”

Only then did Ge Qingyuan turn his gaze toward Lu Feng.

Narrowing his deep eyes slightly, he smiled and said, “Of course I do. Lord Lu, you have endured much…”

Before the words were finished, Ge Qingyuan slowly stretched out his arm toward him.

Lu Feng’s eyes surged with emotion, as though returning to those years when peach blossoms fell like rain in the orchard.

The spring breeze had caressed his face, the blossoms bloomed in full color, and the moment he clasped hands with that handsome youth, he had felt his heart pound for the very first time in his life.

The youth’s passionate discourse on the world had given him the conviction to strive for his future.

The entangling of their fingers had haunted his dreams for years.

Now, seeing Ge Lang extend his hand, he too could not resist stretching out his own, longing to feel that warmth once more.

At that very instant, from beneath the extended sleeve shot out a sharp and icy sleeve arrow.

With a muffled thud, it struck directly into Lu Feng’s brow.

The arrowhead pierced out through the back of his skull, dripping with scarlet blood and whitish fluid.

Lu Feng’s lips still carried a faint smile of reminiscing as his outstretched hand fell heavily onto the cold sand.

The guards escorting the horses and carriages were first stunned at the sight, and before they could react and draw their blades, Ge Qingyuan’s men had already driven swords into their bodies.

They fell one by one with wails of agony into pools of blood.

The sudden slaughter filled the desert night with the stench of blood.

Nie Qinglin’s body could not help but tremble, which only drew a low chuckle from the man behind her.

He pressed close to her fair ear and whispered, “I failed to shield Your Majesty’s eyes in time, letting you be startled. I beg your pardon…”

Sensing Nie Qinglin’s attempt to avoid him, the smile at the corner of his lips turned slightly cold. He turned to his men and said, “Burn the carriage together with the corpses. Do not leave the slightest trace.”

After giving the order, he wrapped the stiff little figure in front of him tightly with a fur cloak, cracked the whip with a sharp sound, and led the great troop galloping into the darkness. Behind the horses, flames roared into the sky.

For three whole days, there was no news from any of the checkpoints.

Every main road and side path leading to the fiefdom of Qilu was under strict investigation.

The Grand Tutor’s face was stern. He could not shake the feeling that the disappearance of the dragon heir was not as simple as the conspiracy of a few rebellious vassal princes.

There was even a kind of sinister familiarity to it.

His thoughts were restless.

Several times he dug his fingernails hard into his palms, using the sharp pain to remind himself not to lose his composure.

After listening to reports from all sides in the study, he stepped outside, only to find a man kneeling bare-chested at the door.

Seeing the Grand Tutor emerge, the man hurriedly knocked his forehead heavily against the ground.

“Your criminal servant Qiu Mingyan admits his fault. I have already taken one hundred lashes in the army camp as self-punishment. I beg the Grand Tutor to grant me a chance to atone for my sins and rescue His Majesty.”

It was none other than the Prime minister.

The back that was once smooth was now covered in savage lash marks, some still oozing blood.

Clearly, the punishment had been given not long ago.

The Grand Tutor did not so much as glance at him and prepared to bypass him.

Qiu Mingyan bit his pale, cracked lips and said weakly, “Grand Tutor, these past days I have examined the travel passes used for crossings throughout the empire. In such tight investigations, only one convoy could pass through the checkpoints most smoothly. That is the royal convoy delivering items to Princess Shaoyang.

Moreover, I also investigated Lu Feng’s background when he entered the capital to sit for the examinations, as well as the records of his service as a menial in the student lodge. Lu Feng was born poor. When he fell ill on the way to the capital, he spent all his money on doctors and could not even afford lodging. It was Ge Qingyuan, still a youth at the time, who paid his expenses. The two seemed unusually close. Could it be…”

These words finally made the Grand Tutor stop.

Back then he had entrusted all the affairs of the capital to Qiu Mingyan precisely because of his meticulous mind and ability to collect intelligence from unexpected angles.

Unfortunately, Qiu Mingyan’s obstinacy had betrayed his trust.

Knowing of Lu Feng’s plot, he had still allowed the emperor to fall into desperate straits.

If not for his years of proven loyalty under his command and the pleas of fellow comrades such as Lu Yuda and Shan Tiehua, he would already have struck him down with one blow.

The youth who had glared at him with defiance after being kicked earlier now showed sincere repentance.

Likely Shan Tiehua had already given him a harsh lesson.

If what he said this time was true, then the mastermind behind the abduction of the dragon heir was once again Ge Qingyuan…this man who had slipped time after time through his encirclements and traps, like a poisonous insect that shed its skin again and again, each time becoming more cunning and vicious, until he was almost like a monstrous creature grown into a spirit.

He recalled the intelligence he had previously received from the northern frontier.

Ge Qingyuan seemed to have taken refuge with the Moerha tribe of the Xiongnu.

Thinking of this, Wei Lenghou’s heart tightened sharply.

He did not even dare to imagine what fate would befall Guo’er in that villain’s hands.

“Men! Order the post stations to prepare fast horses. I must leave the pass at once!”

Qiu Mingyan quickly said, “Your criminal servant has already arranged the relay horses. I wish to accompany the Grand Tutor beyond the pass.”

The Grand Tutor frowned coldly at his former trusted general.

“No need. If Yanjing truly admits his fault, then I hope you can help me with one task. While I am gone, you must steady the court and not allow further turmoil.”

The situation in Great Wei was tense.

The vassal princes were restless, and the iron camps were stationed at the borders of their fiefs to suppress possible uprisings.

Even if Nie Qinglin had truly fallen into the hands of the northern tribes, mobilizing armies to march on the frontier was impossible.

It was better for him to take a small troop into the northern tribes, gather intelligence, and act according to circumstances.

Hearing the Grand Tutor call him “Yanjing,” Qiu Mingyan could not hold back his tears.

“I understand your meaning. While you are gone, I will stabilize the vassal princes so you will not be attacked from both sides. If His Majesty… when the Grand Tutor returns, I will repay my crime with death.”

Wei Lenghou knew Qiu Mingyan was speaking sincerely.

A man from the Black Banner Army never spoke in vain.

He reached out to help Qiu Mingyan up, but inside his heart burned like fire.

Guo’er, you must endure…

The Grand Tutor gazed toward the northern sky heavy with dark clouds, longing to fly there on wings.

The Moerha tribe had once roamed the most fertile pastures of the northern frontier.

Their great herds enjoyed the lushest grasses, producing sweet milk to nourish the children of the tribe.

But when their chieftain Xiu Tuyu lost in the struggle for the title of Chanyu, their carefree life was gone.

The law of the steppe was always cruel and harsh.

They were forced to abandon their fertile lands and flee to the most barren soil of the north.

Poverty and hunger drove more and more of their warriors into banditry.

All of this, however, changed because of the Moerha tribe’s savior—the capable minister from Great Wei, Ge Qingyuan.

After he was first captured by their warriors, he bore no grudge and came willingly to their camp.

In a duel with the chieftain, he unseated Xiu Tuyu from his horse, defeating him so thoroughly that he conceded with respect.

He then persuaded Xiu Tuyu to take him in, and with the treasure he brought, he bartered at the frontier for grain and other necessities.

When the Chanyu Xiu Tulie sent forces to hunt them down, Ge Qingyuan offered timely strategies that helped the tribe win several clever victories, even absorbing other clans persecuted by Xiu Tulie.

For a time, the Moerha tribe regained the glory of its flourishing days.

The entire tribe held this farsighted General Ge in reverence, obeying his every word.

After this General Ge married his sister to Xiu Tuyu, the chieftain who had never recovered from his defeat in the succession struggle sank further into drunkenness and the arms of his tender new wife.

Meanwhile, Ge Qingyuan had already become the de facto leader of the tribe, issuing commands as he pleased.

When Ge Qingyuan carried Nie Qinglin into the camp, the men, women, and children of the tribe all bowed their heads in salute to him on horseback.

Ge Yuner was just returning with a Xiongnu maid from bathing in the stream behind the camp.

She lifted her eyes and saw the Nie Qinglin in her brother’s arms, gagged with a soft cloth to stop her from shouting and alarming the emperor inside the tent.

Ge Yuner thought her brother had captured Princess Yong’an, and a surge of vicious joy rose in her heart.

She hurried a few steps forward, but when she came closer to the horse, Nie Qinglin’s body leaned to the side, revealing a corner of bright yellow clothing beneath the fur cloak.

Only then did she realize that the one who looked so similar to the princess was in fact wearing a bright yellow dragon robe.

She froze in shock.

Not the princess? Heaven above, her brother had actually abducted the Son of Heaven of Great Wei?

Ge Qingyuan quickly wrapped Nie Qinglin’s body back inside the fur cloak and said calmly, “Is the chieftain asleep?”

Hearing his question, she quickly replied, “Not yet. I was bathing just now. Soon I will go serve Chief Xiu Tuyu in his tent.”

Since childhood she had respected her steady and mature elder brother, always obeying his words.

But now every time she saw him, she felt he was becoming more and more distant and cold, giving rise to a deep-seated fear within her.

All the more she wished to follow his orders flawlessly, to prove she was not useless, not someone to be discarded at will.

Ge Qingyuan had never told his sister the secret of the emperor’s identity.

Yet seeing her gaze constantly fixed on the “youth” in his arms, full of doubt, he said gently, “Yuner, be good, quickly go back to serve the chieftain. Do not speak recklessly of what should not be said. Remember, our ultimate goal is to return to Great Wei.”

This rare tenderness from her brother warmed Ge Yuner’s heart and instantly dispelled all her doubts.

She nodded obediently and turned to walk toward the chieftain’s tent.

After coming to the Moerha tribe, her brother had once again offered her to Xiu Tuyu.

By now Ge Yun’er was used to it and felt no shame.

She had long since learned how to find pleasure under a man’s body.

Compared to the King of Southern Frontier, who had grown weak from indulgence in women, this Xiu Tuyu, though rough, had a strong physique far better.

Entering the tent, she had not even untied her robe when she was dragged onto the felt mat by the wine-reeking Xiu Tuyu.

“You southern women are all annoyingly fastidious. Just like the little princess sent in marriage to my late father, you insist on bathing every day. Don’t you know a bit of natural scent is what makes it truly enticing?”

Ge Yuner forced herself to endure the foul odor from the bear-like man.

Obediently, she spread her legs and gave out practiced moans.

Yet even as her body was being pounded, her mind kept replaying the sight of the youth in her brother’s arms just now.

The way “he” had looked at her…so very much like…

When Ge Qingyuan returned to his own tent carrying the person in his arms, he slowly laid her down on the thick felt mat before removing the gag and untying the ropes.

Only then did Nie Qinglin feel the aching weakness throughout her body.

On the journey back, Ge Qingyuan had given her some dried meat and water, but after sleeping in a stupor for days on end, her already frail body was even more harmed.

Once freed from the ropes, she collapsed limply onto the soft felt.

In the northern frontier there were no such refined manners as in Great Wei.

Ge Qingyuan himself wet a square of cloth, wrung it dry, and sat beside Nie Qinglin.

She instinctively shrank back, but he pulled her into his arms.

His large hand gripped her chin tightly as he carefully wiped the dust from her face.

After cleaning her small face and neck, he slowly reached to unfasten the buttons of the dragon robe.

“No!” Nie Qinglin struggled with all her strength, trying to escape Ge Qingyuan’s vile fingers.

But he suddenly pinned her down on the felt mat, flipped over, and straddled her body.

“No? Was the princess this fierce in defending her chastity when she was beneath that thief Wei? Remember, you and I have bowed before heaven and earth. You are my rightful wife, married by proper rites. What right do you have to say no?”

When Ge Qingyuan’s usually calm and handsome face suddenly twisted into a hideous snarl, he reached out and tore open the dragon robe on Nie Qinglin’s body.

The fragile fabric ripped apart with a sharp sound, revealing the alluring fullness wrapped beneath a bellyband.

Ge Qingyuan’s cold eyes swept over her.

The body in his memory seemed even more enticing and voluptuous than before.

Her lustrous white skin, set off against the bright yellow robe, looked all the more delicate.

No doubt it was because Wei Lenghou had ceaselessly plowed and watered her day and night, that she had blossomed like a tender flower.

He suddenly bent down and crushed his lips against Nie Qinglin’s, kissing her with a vicious hunger, greedily swallowing the sweetness from her mouth.

That saccharine taste was just as delicious as in his memory, addictive like marrow once tasted.

After that, kissing any other woman had been nothing but chewing wax.

Nie Qinglin pressed her lips tightly shut, desperately trying to resist the man’s invasion.

But her chin was seized in his iron grip, forcing her mouth open, leaving her helpless against the snake-like thrust of his tongue.

Could it be that she was about to be completely violated by this venomous man, caught utterly defenseless? At that moment, her tense belly contracted.

She suddenly felt a rush of warmth below.

Could it be…? The familiar sensation brought her a flicker of joy.

Taking advantage of the instant when Ge Qingyuan shifted, she quickly spoke. “No… I have my monthly flow.”

The man, who had been about to rip off her trousers, froze.

Indeed, there was a glaring red stain spreading across the white silk.

“Your Majesty’s blood has come most timely.”

Ge Qingyuan forcefully spread her legs, confirmed it, and then spoke lightly.

Fortunately, the custom of Great Wei held that to touch a woman during her monthly flow would bring misfortune.

Seeing the red tide beneath Nie Qinglin, Qiu Mingyan, who had turned into a beast, finally stopped in time.

He fetched a thick felt mat to place under her, then after a moment of silence said, “But it is just as well. At least this proves the princess has not conceived Wei Lenghou’s bastard. Otherwise, if you were to bear your husband’s child later, it would take effort to prove his innocence.”

With that, he rose and walked out.

The moment that venomous man was gone, Nie Qinglin felt her spirit loosen.

She scrambled up, clutching her clothes tightly around her, and glanced around.

The tent was simple, with nothing but a felt mat, a few wooden chests, and clay jars for water.

Not a single usable weapon.

Just as she was about to step outside to see what the camp was like, Ge Qingyuan returned, carrying a large wooden basin filled with steaming hot water.

He set the basin down slowly, then straightened and fixed his gaze on the princess.

Under the weight of his deep eyes, Nie Qinglin gradually sat back down on the felt mat.

“The northern lands are barren, not like the palace, with all its refinements. There is no such abundance here. Princess, please endure for now. Wash yourself. I have already had several felt mats soaked in strong liquor and dried by the fire, prepared for you to change. You should stay on the bed in this tent for the next few days.”

Compared to the last time they met, Ge Qingyuan seemed greatly changed.

At the very least, he no longer carried the immaturity a nineteen-year-old should still have.

To be able to slip away unharmed from chaos, to travel calmly all the way from the southern frontier to the north, and so swiftly seize control of the entire Moerha tribe.

Nie Qinglin realized he was no longer the restless youth who, back in the Wei capital, had been desperate to rise in a single bound.

Now Ge Qingyuan was all the more composed, cruel, and unfathomable.

When he fled the capital, she had worried he might expose her secret to attack Wei Lenghou, but it seemed he had guarded the secret tightly, not letting slip a single word.

Seeing this terrifying face again, she had thought he would vent the hatred of his destroyed family on her, tormenting her with a thousand cruelties.

Yet now, he truly tended to her like a caring husband, seamlessly looking after the body of his ailing wife.

Such a fearsome man, who could tell what he might plan next?

Even when Nie Qinglin refused to wash in front of him and slipped behind a curtain inside the tent, Ge Qingyuan did not stop her.

When at last she finished slowly cleaning herself and came out wearing the man’s long robe he had provided, he calmly stretched out his arm toward her.

For one fleeting moment, Nie Qinglin felt as though an arrow might shoot from his sleeve at any second, and her body stiffened slightly.

Ge Qingyuan naturally saw the fear in her eyes, yet he still smiled.

The scar on his face was hidden in the dim light and shadow of the tent, not diminishing his former handsome bearing.

“How much longer does the princess wish for this humble subject to hold out his arm? If I lose my patience, the scene will not look so pleasant.”

Seeing Princess Yong’an hesitate and refuse to step forward, Ge Qingyuan spoke with a sinister chill.